Investigating current techniques for opposite-hand smartwatch interaction

Abstract

The small display size of smartwatches creates a challenge for touch input, which is still the interaction technique of choice. Researchers and producers have started to investigate alternative interaction techniques. Apple and Samsung, for example, introduced digital versions of classic watch components such as the digital crown and the rotatable bezel. However, it remains an open question how well these components behave in terms of user interaction. Based on a self-built smartwatch prototype, we compare current interaction paradigms (touch input, rotatable bezel and digital crown) for one-dimensional tasks, i.e. scrolling in a list, two-dimensional tasks, i.e. navigation on a digital map, and a complex navigation/zoom task. To check for ecological validity of our results, we conducted an additional study focusing on interaction with currently available off-the-shelf devices using our considered interaction paradigms. Following our results, we present guidelines on which interaction techniques to use for the respective tasks.